Question: In your personal experience, what brand / model would you advise purchasing / discourage me from purchasing? My budget is < $125.00. I have already been comparing models from several companies & have read consumer reviews, but would like to hear what my fellow forum members have to say regarding this matter.

Stay away from Smart Reloader products. Poor quality knockoffs that aren't really that much cheaper than the real deal.
My Dad had one of the early Lyman tumblers for 20 years without any problems. I have a Lyman 1200 that has been fine for 1.5 years. Admittedly not that long, but no problems to report. Lyman makes bigger ones but the 1200 has enough capacity for my modest needs. With a bit of smart shopping your $125 threshold should not be an issue.
First place I looked:http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=pd_lpo_k...GZXSEPXV782N5Q

__________________
Cheers,
Greg “At the core of liberalism is the spoiled child – miserable, as all spoiled children are, unsatisfied, demanding, ill-disciplined, despotic and useless. Liberalism is a philosophy of sniveling brats.” — P.J. O’Rourke

Midway has a good product but prices have been creeping up. I believe Harbor freight has what may be an identical tumbler that's cheaper. They are all made in China right........... Anyways, go to the feed store and ask for a 50 pound sack of crushed walnut sold for bird litter. Order a big 32 oz bottle of commercial brass polish. Anything with ammoinia should be avoided. I believe it makes brass brittle. This includes brasso and windex. I have used other chemicals with varying degreese of success such as rubber maid foam but it doesn't work as good as commercial "polish" because the polish has suspended degreeser. Often times commercial polish has citric acid but I've never tried dissolving vitam C in water and adding it to my brass to make it shine Anyways, you will also need a good separator. One that spins is probably better. I've got the flat bottom type and you really have to work on getting the media out of rifle cases. Sometimes you have to take a second container and pour the brass back and fourth with a flat bottom type to get 99% of the media out and they still need a final inspection shake after that. You should be able to get set up for well under $150 to clean your brass. BTW crushed corn for bird litter is too big. It has to be milled smaller as it is for commercial brass polish to not plug up cases. The walnet tends to chean faster but leave a more dull finish to the brass, the corn takes longer and makes more of a factory shine for what it's worth. rc

How is it going Mike ? I have had a Lyman turbo 1200 for about 20 years and it's still going strong . I'd like a new Auto-Flow version of it but can't justify buying it when the 1200 is still perfectly good . Looks like your budget would allow you to get the 2400 Auto-Flow , and still have a little jingle left for seed !

Thanks for sharing your opinion on your personal experience with vibratory tumblers. So far, the "lyman model 1200 turbo" is leading the race & seems to be the overwhelming winner with those who have so graciously responded to my question.

Will see who else responds in the next 48 hours & will then close out this thread.

I had one from Cabelas (I think they were made by Berry's Bullets) that I did not use for about five years. When I did start using it about the third batch it quit. I then bought a Lyman 1200 and have used it about a year. Like it OK.
After inspecting the Cabelas a while back I found it was only a loose wire. I crimped on a new connector and it works fine now.
My point is, that now, running them side by side, the Cabelas(Berrys?) is a larger capacity, runs quieter, does not move around, and has much more action to the brass and media. You can actually stand there and watch the contents come up the rounded sides, across the top, and back down the center of the bowl. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-MlL...eature=related -- this is a UTube of the Berry's in action.
I understand that the current Cabelas is not a Berry's. You can, however, get them directly from Berry's. (http://www.berrysmfg.com/product-i14...0_Tumbler.aspx)
At www.drillspot.com you can get 40# of 20/40 corn cob media for $26, delivered. It is dropshipped from Grainger. That is about 2 1/2 five gallon pails. Or about 1 1/2 lifetimes of case cleaning.

__________________
Education teaches you the rules, experience teaches you the exceptions (Plagiarized from Claude Clay)

The weak point of ALL the different models of tumblers from all the different Mfr's is the motor. Most retailers will only warrant the motor for a year, even Dillon will only give you a year on theirs. That being said .... Mid-South Shooters has a tumbler with a 3 year warranty on the motor, and it is only $46.00 and change. It's about the same size as the Midway unit.

I have a Lyman Pro 1200 and I like it and it works well, however I'd not buy one again, or any vibratory tumbler for that matter. If I was to do it over with, I'd buy a drum type tumbler that I could use stainless steel media in. That way you don't have to worry about the insides of the cases, or the flash holes. I just kind of regret buying this tumbler last year, not because it's bad because it's not, and it's great for what it is, but because I've since been enlightened to how much better being able to use stainless steel media is.

But it didn't work for much more than a year for me. All the accessories work fine and have lasted years. The tumbler was the issue.
I ended-up buying a Hornady Tumbler and have been happy with it for years now.

__________________
NRA Chief Range Safety Officer, Home Firearms Safety, Pistol and Rifle Instructor"There are three classes of people: those who see, those who see when they are shown, those who do not see."
Leonardo da Vinci

I have two Lymans, one is about 35 years old and the motor has been replaced twice, the newer has a better motor with ball bearings so I expect it to give less trouble. That said, tumbers are quite simple devices, the only things likely to give trouble is the bearing in the motor can seize due to old oil OR the powder wires can break due to the constant viberation.

Paying a lot for a tumbler is foolish, all we need is one with a good motor. Berry's tumblers have very good "heavy duty" motors and IF I were to buy a new one tomorrow that's what I would get because the price is right. Berry makes the Cabela's tumbers too.

Some people use nut and some use cob media and some mix it to make sure they get it right I suppose. Fact is, the media we use makes no significant difference. What does make a difference is the grit size, most of what is marketed for us is 14/20 grit and, IMHO, that's too coarse, it clogs flash holes. I now use 20/40 grit cob from an industrial supply house, it's about the consistancy of coarse table salt. I love it because it works great and does not clog flash holes.

I've out grown my early fastination with shiney cases and only use diatomacous earth now, it cleans beautifully and makes my brass look factory new. I get diatomaceous earth from Lowe's garden and home insecticide department, a couple of pounds costs about $7; it's the stuff used in toothpaste to clean our teeth. I won't eat it but it's harmless to humans and will NOT harm bores.

I bought a Frankford Arsenal tumbler so long ago I think it may have still been almost a government product. I use it at least twice a week and it keeps going and going. I thought it had finally crapped out on me a couple of months ago, but I smacked it on the side and it woke up and has not threatened to stop again. Seriously, the thing is like old enough to vote......

__________________
"If the enemy is in range, so are you." - Infantry Journal

This email link is to reach site administrators for assistance, if you cannot access TFL via other means. If you are a TFL member and can access TFL, please do not use this link; instead, use the forums (like Questions, Suggestions, and Tech Support) or PM an appropriate mod or admin.

If you are experiencing difficulties posting in the Buy/Sell/Trade subforums of TFL, please read the "sticky" announcement threads at the top of the applicable subforum. If you still feel you are qualified to post in those subforums, please contact "Shane Tuttle" (the mod for that portion of TFL) via Private Message for assistance.

This email contact address is not an "Ask the Firearms Expert" service. Such emails will be ignored. If you have a firearm related question, please register and post it on the forums.